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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24063874">Wicked Game</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xobsidienne/pseuds/xobsidienne'>xobsidienne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Flirting, alternative universe, no magic here, wlw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:54:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24063874</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xobsidienne/pseuds/xobsidienne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione was having a very, very, bad day. And it was only 8 am.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>108</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wicked Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello doves! This is my very first fanfiction, and English isn’t my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes. All mistakes are mine.<br/>Feedback is much appreciated &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione was having a very, <em>very</em>, bad day. First, her alarm decided today was a wonderful day to betray her. Second, in her haste to get to work as soon as possible, she spilled coffee on herself. <em>Scorching</em> hot coffee. Third, as if what had already happened wasn’t enough, the weather decided to throw its on spin to make Hermione’s day just a bit more hellish. So when Hermione stepped outside, rushing with what little was left of her coffee in her hand, she slipped on the ice below the steps. Flat on her face. She groaned, pushed herself up, and watched miserably as the little that was left of her coffee spilled out and melted the snow around it. So, yes. Hermione was having a very, very, bad day. And it was only 8am.</p><p> </p><p>A few weeks ago, Hermione’s landlady kicked her out. She had always paid her rent in time, kept everything nice and tidy in her apartment. A few weeks prior to getting kicked out, she was fired from her job. She lover her job and co-workers dearly, and they loved her, but unfortunately the store she was working at closed. Permanently. So, jobless and without income, Hermione franctically started searching for a new job. It wasn’t easy, she didn’t have that much experience in work life yet, she had only graduated last year. But she was determined to find a job. And find a job she did, just a few weeks too late. She couldn’t pay her rent in time, and once she got her first notice, she called a friend, and asked for a place to crash.</p><p> </p><p>Now, Hermione was rushing to her new job. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but she really wasn’t in a position to refuse it. She sighed for what was about the millionth time that day, and hastened her pace. She was cold, her nose was hurting from her earlier face-planting, and she was late. So very late. And this was only her second week. Life really had it out for her lately.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, after what seemed like hours, she reached her destination and rushed inside. It was a nice, cozy little café, not too far from her current residence. She greeted her co-worker, Ginny, who had quickly become a dear friend of hers.</p><p> </p><p>”Hermione, you’re late. But I’m sure you’re already aware of that,” Ginny said with an amused smile on her lips.</p><p> </p><p>”I know, and I’m so sorry, but today has been the worst day of my life!” Hermione cried and shrugged her coat off. With a grim expression, she realized her coat had a coffee stain on it. Her <em>white</em> coat. She looked skywards as if to curse the whole damn universe for doing this to her.</p><p> </p><p>”Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ve had a very lazy morning so far. What happened?” Ginny enquired, looking a little warily at Hermione. She looked ready to burst.</p><p> </p><p>”It’s a rather long story. But hold that thought, I could really use some advice. I’ll go change now and then we can get started on the playlist for the weekend.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, Hermione walked past Ginny and into the changing rooms at the back. It was only her second week working here, but Ginny had asked her to help her with a music playlist for the weekend. They had a themed weekend at the café every month, it always brought in tons of younger customers and people who were visiting the town. It was a relatively small town so any new customers were very welcome. Mentally going through her playlists for songs to pick, Hermione quickly changed into her work clothes, threw her hair up in a bun, and walked back out to find Ginny already scribbling a few song choices down on their notepad</p><p> </p><p>”Alright, I’m back. Could we grab a coffee after work? There’s a few things I would like to talk to you about.”</p><p> </p><p>”Sure thing. Luna might come too, she’s in town.” Ginny smiled, turning around to look at Hermione.</p><p> </p><p>”Really? God I’ve missed her so much, maybe this day won’t be so horrible after all,” Hermione smiled, feeling a warmth spreading in her chest at the thought of seeing her friend again after a criminally long time.</p><p> </p><p>”Yeah, she texted me last night. She’ll stay for a few weeks this time, has some business to take care of.”</p><p> </p><p>”Brilliant, can’t wait. So, what have you got?” Hermione asked, leaning closer to look at the notepad.</p><p> </p><p>”Hmm, so, since the theme is magic and stuff, I thought perhaps we could add a few instrumental songs, too? Just to create an atmosphere of sorts. Also, chatting will be considerably easier,” Ginny said, fiddling with the pen between her fingers.</p><p> </p><p>”Good idea, any suggestions in mind?”</p><p> </p><p>”Yes! So, I was thinking -” Ginny was cut off by three women walking in, all wearing black. They had a somewhat intimidating aura around them, and it seemed as all the air had been sucked out of the room. Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other, gulped a little nervously, but did their best to remain professional. Ginny took the lead and went to get their orders, while Hermione stayed back, ready to start working on their orders.</p><p> </p><p>”Hi! Welcome to The Black Swan! What can I get for you?”</p><p> </p><p>The three women looked up, still seemingly a little caught up in whatever conversation they had been having outiside. Hermione took the moment to take a closer look at them. One of them was pale, blonde, her gloriously long hair streaming down her back. Her hair almost seemed silver, creating a stark contrast between her black attire and her hair. Her face was gorgeous, regal, something modeling agencies would absolutely die for. Her eyes were striking, blue with a bit of gray swirling in them, framed by eyeliner and mascara.</p><p> </p><p>The woman standing next to her was a bit more tan, had long, wavy hair, and the color reminded Hermione chocolate. Her face, too, was gorgeous, almost criminally so, and Hermione silently chuckled to herself thinking of how modeling agencies would swarm around them and pester them until they gave in and signed themselves in. Her eyes were brown, hazel, and also similarly framed by eyeliner and mascara.</p><p> </p><p>The last woman was very pale, almost frighteningly so, and had long, curly, jet black hair, cascading down her with a few curls thrown over her shoulders. Looking at her face and realizing the similarities between the women, Hermione came to the conclusion that they were related, most likely sisters. Her face was gorgeous, regal, just like the other two women’s faces were. Her eyes were dark, almost black, and the look in them was so intense that Hermione’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes were also framed by mascara and eyeliner with wings so sharp and precise they could cut like a knife. The woman had, unfortunately for Hermione, caught her eyeing her and shot her a devious smirk. Hermione, once again, cursed the universe under her breath for playing with her like this.</p><p> </p><p>Hardly any time had passed at all since Ginny asked them what they would like, and Hermione was jerked back to reality from cursing the universe when the blonde one spoke.</p><p> </p><p>”Ah, thank you. What a lovely little café. I would like a latte, please. Andy, Bella, what would you like?”</p><p> </p><p>Hermione was in awe. Not only were her looks regal, but somehow her voice too held such power to it, simultaneously like a queen commanding her people and a siren luring men into the depths of the ocean.</p><p> </p><p>The brunette spoke next, ”A cappucino would be wonderful, thank you. This really is a lovely place. Are you the owners?”</p><p> </p><p>Hermione wanted to pinch herself. What even were these women? Much like the blonde’s, her voice too had a fascinating power to it. It was warm and kind, but strong and commanding all the same.</p><p> </p><p>”My mother is. This is actually a café slash bar, the bar being in the far back, but we don’t have enough staff anymore so we’re only keeping the café part open. A shame, really, but what can you do,” Ginny answered with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione remembered coming to this place with her friends many, many times during her studies. It was a wonderful place. One side a cozy café, and once the café closed, the bar would open. The bar was the opposite. It was black, decorated with black furniture, and it was like stepping into another dimension. A few years ago another bar opened, and while The Black Swan managed to keep a part of its customers, it wasn’t worth it in the long run. So Ginny’s parents, Molly and Arthur, made the difficult decision of shutting down the bar. Molly was in charge of the café and Arthur of the bar, and when the bar closed down, Arthur had to look for another job. Luckily he found one, but it included traveling from time to time, and for four days out of seven in a week, Arthur was out of town.</p><p> </p><p>”Oh, what an interesting idea! Too bad the bar had to be closed. Perhaps there’s still hope for the future,” The brunette, Andy apparently, answered.</p><p> </p><p>”Perhaps. It would be nice to have this place back in its full glory.”</p><p> </p><p>”Most certainly,” Andy said with a genuine smile on her face. ”Now, Bella, what would you like? I’m craving for my coffee.”</p><p> </p><p>”Just a black coffee, thank you. No milk no sugar.”</p><p> </p><p>Now, Hermione did pinch herself. Carefully, to make sure they didn’t see it, for she could not handle more embarrassment for one day. The pinch did nothing, Hermione was still standing behind Ginny, and the three women were still standing there. The woman’s voice was lower than the other women’s, but no less powerful or commanding. If anything, it was more. Hermione felt a little weak, for she had always had a thing for voices like theirs. So powerful and Hermione had no doubt in her mind that if they wanted something, they could get it with the sheer power of their voices.</p><p> </p><p>Once the shock of hearing their voices wore off, Hermione couldn’t help but chuckle to herself once she realized how much their orders resembled the women. A latte for the blonde, a cappucino for the brunette, and a black coffee for the woman with jet black hair. It was intriguing, really. Or perhaps Hermione was just tired. She would come to the weirdest and most random conclusions when she was tired.</p><p> </p><p>”Wonderful, got it. If you’d take a seat and we’ll bring these right over!” Ginny said with a bright smile, and she and Hermione started working on their orders.</p><p> </p><p>It was still quiet, no other customers had come in, so they could hear the women moving and finding a table to their liking. Once they settled down, Hermione realized that they could hear a word here and there of what they were talking about. As much as the women intrigued her, it was not her place to eavesdrop on their conversation, so with a look at Ginny and a nod of her head towards the speakers, Hermione finished the order she was working on and went to turn on some music. It wasn’t loud at all, just a little something to give the women some privacy and make them more comfortable.</p><p> </p><p>Once the music was on and their orders were finished, Ginny set them on a tray. She shot a look at Hermione, and for a while Hermione looked at her right back, a confused expression on her face, before she realized Ginny wanted her to take their orders to the table. She sighed, took a deep breath to calm her nerves and picked up the tray. Ginny shot her a grin before twirling around to work on the playlist for the weekend.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione was not a clumsy person. She truly wasn’t. Or at least that’s what she kept telling herself. But after a few steps, she felt her foot collide with a chair, and she stumbled a little, watching in horror as the liquids spilled over. This time, the curses fell easily from her lips as the hot liquid made contact with her finger, and she bit her cheek in an attempt to stop a hiss and more curses from escaping her traitorous lips. She felt her face and neck heat up in embarrassment, and after gaining her balance, kept a slow pace in hopes of the blush disappearing and not tripping over again.</p><p> </p><p>She wasn’t a very skilled waitress, but she was sure enough that she could balance the tray on one hand and grab a tissue from her apron with the other to wipe the spilled liquids away. Luckily she was right and she managed to wipe the tray clean discreetly enough so that the women wouldn’t notice.</p><p> </p><p>She approached the table, greeted them again, and started setting down the orders in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>”A latte for you, a cappucino for you, and a black coffee for you. I hope you’ll enjoy your drinks and feel free to wave us over if you would like anything else,” Hermione smiled, pleased with herself and how strong her voice sounded despite being extremely nervous around the three women.</p><p> </p><p>”Thank you, love. Are you busy? We just recently moved here and we were just talking about how nice it would be to learn a little bit more about this place. We of course understand if you’re busy, but we would really appreciate some help,” Andy said, smiling and flashing her perfect teeth. Why was everything about them so goddamn perfect?</p><p> </p><p>”Oh. Uh, well, I suppose, considering we’re not exactly busy at the moment. What would you like to know?”</p><p> </p><p>”Great! Please sit down, love. I think introductions are in order first. I’m Andromeda, and this is Narcissa,” She said, gesturing towards the blonde woman on her right. ”And this is Bellatrix,” she finished, gesturing towards the woman sitting opposite them.</p><p> </p><p>”I’m Hermione, it’s lovely to meet you,” she said, once again proud of herself and how strong her voice sounded.</p><p> </p><p>”You, too. Now, please sit down. I believe we have much to talk about and you would surely be more comfortable sitting down.”</p><p> </p><p>Hermione gulped, alarms going off in her head. This was a bad idea. Quite possibly the worst idea in the history of bad ideas. But despite her better judgement and the alarms blaring in her head, she sat down next to Bellatrix.</p><p> </p><p>”Thank you. So, uh, what would you like to know then?” Now, Hermione was not so proud of herself anymore. Her voice wavered, and she was sure the three women could easily hear that she was nervous. She scolded herself in her mind and, once again, cursed the universe.</p><p> </p><p>”Lots of things,” the blonde woman answered. Hermione was a little bit surprised, expecting Andromeda to be the one to continue the conversation, but nodded at her, silently asking her to continue.</p><p> </p><p>”I have a son, Draco, and he’s in desperate need of a job. Say, could he work here? He would of course be interviewed and go through whatever training is necessary, but are you hiring? Is this a possibility?”</p><p> </p><p>”Well, since I’m not the owner I can’t promise you anything, but I can ask Molly, the owner, if they’re looking for new employees. But I do know that we are quite seriously understaffed and I’m sure Molly will welcome any help with open arms,” Hermione said.</p><p> </p><p>She was once again surprised though, Narcissa looked so young and apparently she had a child old enough to work. These women could not possibly be human.</p><p> </p><p>”Thank you, that would be much appreciated. How old are you? If I may ask,” Narcissa continued, lifting her elbows on the table and placing her chin in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>”I’m 22.”</p><p> </p><p>”Oh, how wonderful! Draco happens to be your age, too. Would you like to meet with him? He could use a friend,” she said, leaning a little closer.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione felt a little helpless, she had only just met the women, and she was still all nervous and jittery around them, and now Narcissa wanted her to be friends with her son? Hermione’s head was reeling, and to make matters worse, she felt her skin break out in goosebumps when the woman, Bellatrix, sitting next to her spread out her arm on the back of the seat Hermione was sitting on.</p><p> </p><p>She felt flustered and she couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter, and in a futile attempt to calm herself, she took a deep breath, then another one, and just when she felt collected enough, she made the fatal mistake of glancing at Bellatrix. She was leaning back, looking all smug and chill, one of her eyebrows raised in amusement and a smirk playing on her lips. Hermione’s face and neck lit up in flames and she choked a little on the air she was desperately trying to inhale, only to hear Bellatrix’s amused chuckles right next to her.</p><p> </p><p>She swallowed, hard, and finally managed to squeak out a response to Narcissa’s question.</p><p> </p><p>”I would love to,” she said, and the earlier feeling of proudness she felt when her voice sounded strong was now nothing more than a distant memory.</p><p> </p><p>”Hmm, wonderful. Will you be here tomorrow? He could drop by. Or would you be willing to give me your phone number so I could give it to him? Young people do seem to love their phones and perhaps a little chat before actually meeting would help with the nerves,” Narcissa said with an unnecessary weight on the last word, a teasing glint in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione, imitating a tomato by now, only laughed a little helplessly. What had she gotten herself into? She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe in the presence of the women. She usually prided herself in being smart and brave, had always soaked up every bit of knowledge and information she could get her hands on, and she was never one to back down from a challenge. So what happened to her? Why couldn’t she produce an intelligent reply, or at least somewhat intelligent, and why was she suddenly so nervous about meeting someone and possibly making a friend?</p><p> </p><p>Hermione was pulled from her thoughts by a sound of paper rustling, and could only watch in horror as Bellatrix pushed the piece of paper in front of her, followed by a pen.</p><p> </p><p>She, once again, made a fatal mistake and looked up at her, only to find her much closer than the last time, and the same daring smirk playing on her lips again. Hermione could only stare, didn’t even realize her mouth opening just a fraction, but apparently enough to notice. The next thing she knew, Bellatrix raised her other hand, gently but firmly grabbed her chin and closed her mouth. She dropped her gaze, couldn’t possibly look into the intense eyes that were much too close, and saw as Narcissa and Andromeda exchanged knowing looks and chuckled a little in amusement.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione had no idea how much time had passed, but it sure felt like an eternity. She was blushing so hard she was certain she had just made up another shade of red. Realizing that she could not possibly be any more embarrassed than she was now, she grabbed the pen and wrote down her number.</p><p> </p><p>Bellatrix’s fingers were no longer on her chin, but she had instead trailed them down her side, and they were now resting on her thigh. Hermione could have sworn her fingers burned a hole through her jeans, and she was expecting to smell burnt fabric any second now.</p><p> </p><p>It did not come, and slowly Hermione gathered herself together, just enough that her hand stopped shaking and she could write down her number. Once she was done, she slid the piece of paper over to Narcissa, feeling Bellatrix’s eyes burning a hole in her skull.</p><p> </p><p>”Thank you, I’m sure Draco will be delighted to meet you. And Bella, please, behave yourself,” Narcissa said, entirely too amused by the situation to sound even remotely serious.</p><p> </p><p>Bellatrix said nothing, only chuckling darkly and Hermione felt shivers go down her spine.</p><p> </p><p>”Right then, it was truly lovely to meet you, Hermione. I trust we’ll be seeing you around?” Andromeda spoke up, and Hermione realized that they all had finished their drinks. She felt the urge to pinch herself again, she was so sure that this was her traitorous mind playing tricks on her, that surely she was only dreaming. But try as she might, she did not wake up.</p><p> </p><p>”I suppose we will. It was lovely meeting you, too,” Hermione said, scrambling up and away from Bellatrix before anything else could happen.</p><p> </p><p>She smoothed down her clothes, tucked a curl behind her ear, and finally dared a glance at the three women still seated at the table. They were all looking at her, all a bit amused, and Hermione truly wished the ground would swallow her whole.</p><p> </p><p>”Pleasure was all ours, I assure you,” Bellatrix said, not at all even trying to hide the innuendo behind the words.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione, not trusting her words at all, only gave them a nervous smile, feeling much too hot and a need to get away before she would combust.</p><p> </p><p>She briskly walked back to safety, to Ginny, and took massive gulps of air in a desperate attempt to calm herself and gain some control over her thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Ginny had been watching them the whole time, had a perfect view of all of them, and for once she thanked the heavens that no new customers had arrived. She watched them in amusement, groaning a little in second-hand embarrassment at Hermione’s obvious blushing and nervousness. But she couldn’t exactly blame her, not at all, the women were absolutely gorgeous and had such an intimidating and powerful aura around them that even she, from the safe distance behind the counter, could feel herself blushing.</p><p> </p><p>Once Hermione reached Ginny, she saw her raise an eyebrow in question and Hermione only whispered, ”Later, Ginny,” before rushing to grab her water bottle and drinking half of it in one go.</p><p> </p><p>Before Ginny had time to warn her, the women passed by the counter, all three of them thanking them for the delicious coffee. Bellatrix, going out right after Narcissa, threw one last smirk and wink at Hermione while she was still desperately gulping down her water.</p><p> </p><p>As expected, Hermione choked on the water and could hear Bellatrix’s low chuckles as she walked out the door.</p><p> </p><p>Andromeda stayed behind, waited until Hermione stopped coughing and offered her an apologetic smile. ”Sorry about that, Bellatrix can be a little intense,” she said and rubbed the back of her neck.</p><p> </p><p>”You don’t say,” Ginny quipped and Hermione felt her face go up in flames again.</p><p> </p><p>”Yeah, well... I really do hope we will be seeing each other around. I will certainly drop by whenever I can. Both the coffee and the company were excellent,” Andromeda said with a wink at Hermione and then followed Narcissa and Bellatrix out the door.</p><p> </p><p>”Oh. My. God,” Hermione wheezed, leaned against the wall for support and slid down on it until she was on the floor. Ginny only laughed a little breathlessly and walked over to Hermione, placing her hand on her shoulder and squeezing it in silent support.</p><p> </p><p>They stayed like that for a while, until a beep from a phone interrupted the silence. Ginny flipped out her phone and checked it for notifications, but saw nothing new. ”It was yours, sweets,” she said to Hermione, who still sat on the floor, holding her head in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione only nodded absentmindedly at Ginny before taking her phone from her pocket. She <em>shrieked</em>. Ginny felt her pulse skyrocket at the sudden sound and her heart thumped so painfully and loudly in her ears that she had to close her eyes and place a hand over her heart as if willing it to calm down.</p><p> </p><p>After a moment, still holding a hand over her heart, Ginny opened her eyes to see Hermione staring wide-eyes at her phone, holding a hand over her mouth. Assuming the reaction was caused by whatever the notification was, she squatted down at Hermione’s eye level and looked at her, as if asking for permission to see what had caused such a reaction.</p><p> </p><p>Hermione only nodded, weakly, and Ginny reached out to take her phone. She felt her own breath hitch in her throat before releasing it in a shuddering breath.</p><p> </p><p>There, on the screen, was one single message.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Hello, pet. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>What did you say your name was? I want to make sure I’m screaming the right name tonight.</em>
</p><p><em> Bellatrix </em> </p>
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